Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Do we notice the thorns or the rose first?

This was a beautiful story. How easy it is to see or talk about the thorns that others have, instead of all their beautiful qualities. What a great reminder, to look paste the thorns, and see the real beauty within! Enjoy!

The Rose With Thorns

A certain man planted a rose and watered it faithfully and before it blossomed, he examined it. He saw the bud that would soon blossom, but noticed thorns upon the stem and he thought, "How can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened with so many sharp thorns?"

Saddened by this thought, he neglected to water the rose, and before it was ready to bloom, it died.

So it is with many people. Within every soul there is a rose. The God like qualities planted in us at birth growing amid the thorns of our faults. Many of us look at ourselves and see only the thorns, the defects. We despair, thinking that nothing good can possibly come from us. We neglect to water the good within us, and eventually it dies. We never realize our potential.

Some people do not see the rose within themselves; someone else must show it to them. One of the greatest gifts a person can possess is to be able to reach past the thorns and find the rose within others.

This is the characteristic of love--to look at a person and know their true faults. Accepting that person into your life, while recognizing the nobility in their soul. Help them to realize that they can overcome their faults. If we show them the rose, they will conquer their thorns. Only then will they blossom many times over.

Our duty in this world is to help others by showing them their roses and not their thorns. Only then can we achieve the love we should feel for each other; only then can we bloom in our own garden. - Unknown

"Won't you come into the garden? I would like my roses to see you." ~Richard Brinsley Sheridan

"Helping others' confidence is the greatest gift anyone can give... a sincere, well deserved compliment has greater purchasing power than money." - Rev Dale Turner